How To Avoid The Most Common Trampoline Injuries

There’s no disputing the fact that trampolines are a ton of fun for the whole family, but there are dangers associated with them. In the United States alone, there are nearly 100,000 reported trampoline injuries each year. In this article, we explore tips and tricks that will help you and your family avoid the most common trampoline injuries.

Here are some quick facts about trampoline injuries:

Ages 6 through 14 accounts for 2/3 of all trampoline injuries

Between 1990 and 1999 there were 11 reported trampoline deaths in the U.S.

Foot and leg injuries account for 40% of total trampoline injuries

Any physical activity poses as a potential risk to your kid(s) and the trampoline is not exception. You cannot deny the injury statistics, but there are things you can do to reduce the risk injury.

One At A Time

While we don’t have statistics to back up our claim, breaking this rule is probably the biggest contributor to trampoline injuries. It’s the rule everyone knows will reduce the risk of injury, yet rarely does anyone enforce it.

Why?

The “one at a time” rule sounds great on paper, but doesn’t do as well in the real world. As a kid, I can remember jumping with my brother and other friends. There’s no way we would have been okay with the one at a time rule. If we heard that was the rule, we would have whined and cried for quite some time.

As a parent, it will be your job to decide if you want to enforce it; you can’t always be your kids best friend, and this rule will certainly challenge that.

Enforce it, and you will significantly reduce the risk of you and your kids being a part of a trampoline injury.

Safety Enclosure Net

There are mixed reviews from people when it comes to the trampoline safety enclosure net. On the surface, the idea sounds like a no-brainer for trampoline but does it improve safety?

We say yes, but only if it’s done right.

Also, while the one at a time rule is likely to reduce the risk of injury, the safety enclosure net won’t affect it too much. That’s because the net does not take the most common injury area: the spring and frame area.

If your trampoline has a safety enclosure net, it will not prevent the jumper from falling on the frame. The frame is still exposed. The safety net reduces the chances a jumper will only land off the trampoline.

The only trampoline that removes the risk of a frame landing injury is the SpringFree. The SpringFree trampoline is an innovative company that has pushed trampoline safety to the next level.

Soft Surrounding Area

If your trampoline has a safety enclosure net, then this shouldn’t be as much of a concern for your trampoline safety efforts. The idea here is that jumpers will occasionally land off trampoline.

Jumpers are already soaring into the air from the jumping pad, and landing on the ground adds three or four feet of distance. The extra few feet significantly increases the chance of a serious injury.

If possible, situate the trampoline in an area that is surrounded by soft ground. While the concept makes sense, finding “soft” ground in your backyard isn’t practical. Your lawn is going to be the same firmness all around.

If that’s the case, then we suggest you invest in a trampoline pad. It’s a common trampoline accessory that can be found on Amazon and other online retailers. The landing pad will soften the blow if any jumper happens to land off the trampoline.

Check For Damage

We discuss this issue in another blog post here, but it’s worth mentioning again. Trampolines wear down over time, just like most things in life.

It’s important to check your trampoline on a regular basis. The main areas will be the frame and spring area. Springs tend to wear down over time and pose a serious injury risk if they were to break down during a jumping session.

Supervision

You’re probably thinking, duh! We will admit it’s a straightforward tip, but the fact is that it’s rarely followed.

Set the trampoline ground rules from day one and the risk of injury decreases. They are more likely to follow the rules, even if you happen to miss some of the action.

Also, supervision allows you to get a better sense of “what could go wrong”. For example, you may notice that your son or daughter always jumps on the right side of the trampoline. You start to notice that they almost hit the frame when this occurs.

You can coach them through the habit and stop an injury risk in its tracks.

Note: while we don’t encourage multiple jumpers at once, you will learn a lot if this action does occur. Your supervision will help you see which kids tends to get thrown around; it’s usually the lighter kid. Again, you can coach them to a safer trampoline experience.

Avoid The Cool Tricks

It’s pretty simple: Engage in cool trampoline tricks, and you will increase the chance of injury.

Note: The front and back flip are the tricks that are most likely to cause a head injury.

Remove The Ladder

The trampoline ladder makes it easy for kids to reach the jumping area, but it’s an injury risk. Similar to the frame, the ladder is not an area you want to land on.

Remove it when you and your kids are safe and ready to start their jumping.

Keep It Lit

Natural sunlight makes it easy to see during the day, but jumping when its dark increases the risk of a trampoline injury. While you might want to curtail night time jumping altogether, at the very least, make sure the area is well light.

A dark area increases the chance of a bad landing, or landing on a bad area.

Alright, that concludes our trampoline injury tips and tricks. As you may have noticed, it decreasing the risk of injury comes down to your ability to enforce them.

I’ll admit, some of the tips are tough to enforce. Good luck and let us know if there are any tips we might have missed!

Leave a Comment:

Trampolinegurus.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon, the Amazon logo, AmazonSupply, and the AmazonSupply logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.